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Welome to the new SCBG discussion forums. Use this to post any question on gardening topics, whether it be questions on Southern California gardening, or a note on a highlight of your last visit to the South Coast Botanic Garden.

Are there any plans of creating a section of the gardens dedicated to the culinary field (i.e. herbs, vegetables, etc.)? My husband is a Chef and maintains the chef's gardens at the Fairmont Newport Beach. We would love to see all the uinique products our climate can offer in the South Bay.

We are in the planning stages of opening a restaurant in the South Bay over the next 6 months. We thought how great it would be to have a location within the gardens that could use the ingredients grown on location. The waste from the restaurant could then be composted and provided back in to the gardens. Something our area is seriously lacking (and the Gardens could pioneer) - garden to table gourmet. There also could be classes set up with the Chef to show how it's done.

We do have an have a new herb garden, and we also grow veggies. Unfortunately these cannot be consumed: we are on a landfill, and regulations prohibit us from consuming food grown on the property due to the potential of contamination (heavy metals).

There might be other ways to promote this activity. Call the Foundation office to discuss

A few years ago I went to a rose pruning demo at the SCBG and was given a recipe for a rose cocktail to apply after pruning. I mixed it myself for a couple of years then switched to buying it from Sunshine nursery but they have not sold any for the last couple of years. Can you post the recipe? Thanks

Every Saturday I read the LA Times "Home" section and see listings for lectures or classes at other gardens in Southern California, but rarely anything at South Coast Botanic Garden. Is there going to be an increase in lectures or classes that take place on the weekends or evenings. I have the impression that other gardens are offering more than South Coast Botanic Garden.

Thank you for your recent post. While we have many classes and workshops being offered, they are not always posted in the LA Times Home section. PR and advertising for our events is something we are continuing to work on.

Please feel free to visit the Programs and Events or Calendar links of our website to see our latest events and classes.

We are continuing to add more and more classes and lectures in the area of gardening and landscaping. SCBG is proud to offer a wide variety of classes and workshops that appeal to the various visitors that enjoy the Garden.

Please feel free to visit the Programs and Events or Calendar links of our website to see our latest schedule.

I am a long time resident on the Hill and have frequented the garden and taken classes there. I was happy to see your new electronic billboard announcing new classes, however, there is not a Class heading on your web site any longer that would allow me to see what the selection is so that I can sign up. That would seem to be a no brainer.

I did see a few random classes in other areas of your web site, but AS USUAL they are all during the week days and therefore not available for those of us who work for a living. A few evening and weekend classes would make it possible for us to participate.

I was also interested in volunteering, but again, your volunteering opportunities seem to be only for those who can come during the weekdays. Some of us would be happy to volunteer on the weekends if you made it possible.

Finally, and I have sent this suggestion to you before without any response, you really should get with the new age and have an e-mail distribution mailing list so that people, like me, can sign up to receive announcements about what is going on at the garden. I don't always drive down Crenshaw and if I don't, then I have no idea what is happening there. I even offered to volunteer to manage such an e-mail mailing list for you but have not heard from anyone.

If you want the garden to thrive, then you need to use technology to build up your response numbers in the community. Do you have an advancement department? Because it seems that you are missing numerous opportunities to advance the garden.

Thank you for your feedback. Staff and volunteers at South Coast Botanic Garden have worked very hard over the last couple of years to modernize various operational systems - including the usability of the website and the ways in which we communicate with our members and the community. It is an ever changing and dynamic process - one that has evolved over time and with helpful feedback from our members and those that frequent our website.

We have discovered that those who are interested in classes look at our "Programs and Events" section for information. Once there, they find things categorized into their particular areas of interests. We are continually adding classes, programs and events not only during the week but in the evenings and on the weekends as well. For example, our members enjoy evening garden walks and this weekend, we are having a needle felting workshop.

Historically, volunteering at SCBG had been done during the week. Currently, volunteer opportunities exist on the weekend as well. Just a couple months ago, we had close to 150 volunteers join us on community work day. Their help was invaluable. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please don't hesitate to contact our office at (310) 544-1948 or email Carol Howden at carol@southcoastbotanicgarden.org.

Lastly, many upgrades in technology have been made to our internal operating systems and we are using those advances to share the news with our members and those that request information from us. Currently members can elect to receive their quarterly newsletters via email. In addition, those who subscribe receive monthly updates as to what is taking place at the Garden. This same information can also be found on our home page as well. We also like to interact with and update our followers on Facebook. In addition, we've added advances such as online sign-ups for memberships and donations. We are currently working to add the ability to sign-up for classes online. We have embraced technology and have heard great feedback from those that use the services.

Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns. If you'd like to be added to our email list, please forward your information to info@southcoastbotanicgarden.org.